I am currently in the process of building a 12v portable softwash system on a cart. It will be using a 5gpm pump at 70 psi. I plan on using Apple Wash as the surfactant, I also have EBC (unsure if anyone uses that in a roof mix).
I have been approached to clean a concrete tiled roof as he wants it clean for painting. From my research on here and on YT, the consensus is that if there is heavy organic growth present on the roof, you simply leave it to fall off with the wind and the rain after treating it with your roof mix.
My question is that if there is heavy organic growth (picture below is from the rental I currently live in, lots of lichen present) on this concrete tiled job, he will expect it all gone once I have left as presumably he won’t want to wait 6-12 months for the lichen to fall off in its own time before painting it. What suggestions do you have to turn a roof like the one pictured into one that is clean and free of heavy lichen?
Personally I think its unrealistic given the type of growth present and the amount to expect all traces of it to be gone from the roof once I’m finished.
I think the only way is to either 1) use low pressure to try and rinse it off or 2) use a broom to brush it off. As its a concrete tiled roof, I don’t think it would be a great idea to be walking on it as tiles could be damaged.
I would love to hear any suggestions or tips on removing heavy lichen growth.
that’s nothing like the photo above, I was thinking corn growing on the roof. Mix up some 4-5% and go to town, with the heat you guys are getting over there at the moment it will start flaking in 10 minutes, let the sh bake on good and give it a nice rinse. Be sensible with pressure.
Yeah I know, I was using that as an example for my question of removing heavy lichen growth. Plus its always good to get advice on removing it from roofs that have heaps of it on them. I’ve seen a lot around my area that are like the one I live in.
Once I get all my bits, I’ll treat my one and see how well it goes.
If you’ve got big clumps of growth like on yours, you probably want to brush off the bigger clumps before you treat or I’ve been known to use my shooter tip to knock off clumps, just make sure to not shoot it under the tile. On one like yours, that’s bad, after you brush off bigger clumps, pre-wet, let sit for about 5 min before you apply solution. It softens it up and makes more absorbant before you apply solution.
I haven’t done any roofs yet but I’m pretty sure if your customer wants a tile roof clean for painting, then it isn’t enough to soft wash it. You’ll need to pressure clean the whole thing. Take a surface cleaner up there or get one of the specifically made for roof cleaning accessories.
I would treat with 4-6% then rinse with enough pressure as needed to remove remaining debris, youre going to have to walk it as are the painters just don’t stomp around like a drunk elephant.
Take pictures of any broken tiles you notice prior to clean- usually will be a couple and if you break any yourself be honest about it and tell the client- some have spares in the shed or are ok with a sikaflex repair.
